


Love is forever (I guess that was true)

by stardustchenle



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, they kiss but swear it's platonic, they're both in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 05:23:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17781359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustchenle/pseuds/stardustchenle
Summary: “What are you gonna paint?”“Us.”“Us?”He doesn't need to see Jisung's surprised expression behind him to imagine it. “Yeah, us. I wanted to paint the day we fell for each other, and I was trying to think of which one it was.”Title and inspiration from "2002" by Anne Marie





	Love is forever (I guess that was true)

**_February 2019_ **

****

The canvas is in place on the tripod, the lighting is perfect, the paintbrushes are all clean and ready next to his palette, colours tubes ready to get chosen and squeezed. Renjun bites down on his bottom lip and then takes it between his thumb and pointer finger, moving it slightly from side to side absentmindedly as he furrows his brows while deep in thoughts. Now, he only needs to decide exactly what to paint.

****

**_October 2018, Halloween_ **

****

“Hey Link, I think you lost a pointy ear there.” Jisung points to the floor behind Renjun and the older crouches down to pick up what is, indeed, one of his costumes’ fake elf ears, grumbling a low “These things keep coming off, I swear...” under his breath.

****

Jisung is smug. “You should've bought a better quality costume, maybe.”

****

“Oh, shut up. I don't take costume criticism from a _furry._ ” Jisung's eyes widen. “I'm not!”

****

“Mmm-mh. Try telling me that when you're not wearing drawn-on whiskers and fake fuzzy ears,” retorts Renjun, flicking one of the two on top of Jisung's head lightly.

****

“I'm a character!”

****

“Sure. And by the way, I told you I'm not Link, I'm Peter Pan.”

****

Jisung's smirk is back after a second at that, following the lightning of an idea passing through his eyes. “Oh, trying to blame you never growing taller to never growing up, uh?”

****

Renjun rolls his eyes as he grabs a fistful of the front of Jisung's shirt, forcing him to lean down a bit. “Oh, shut up, Sungie.” He hesitates, and then pulls the younger further down some more, catching his mouth in a kiss.

He bites Jisung's bottom lip lightly, grinning as he leans back and lets go of the younger's shirt.

****

“Okay. Shutting up now.”

****

**_May 2013_ **

****

“Trust me, I've seen it in a movie the other day. You gotta do like this.” Renjun picks up the red solo cup next to him and takes a big gulp, grimacing and scrunching up his face as he puts it down again.

****

Jisung's eleven-year-old eyes are wide and curious under his black bangs, mouth slightly agape as he watches intently.

****

“And why do they do that?”

****

Renjun shrugs. “I don't know, but when grownups drink from these cups in movies they always make a funny face or a weird noise.”

****

“Maybe they don't like the juice that there is at adult parties?” Jisung tries tentatively, tilting his head to the side.

****

“Yeah, maybe… One day we'll go to one together and drink the weird juice too, I promise!”

****

**_July 2016_ **

****

“How is high school?”

****

“Jisung, you asked me a million times already! You'll see when the school year starts. And I told you, it's nothing much.”

****

“I know, but… I've heard so much about it. Like that at parties or in the halley people kiss all the time.”

****

Renjun seems to think for a moment. “Well, that is kinda true, but…” the tips of his ears tinge of a soft pink “...I don't really have any experience with that.”

****

“Oh. Yeah, me neither.”

****

“Yeah, Sung, I… I imagined.”

****

“Yeah. I wish I had some, though. You know, to not be a total newbie at my first high school party or something.”

****

“Yeah…”

****

“Do you… do you wanna try?”

****

Renjun's head snaps up, searching for Jisung's eyes. Quite nervous eyes, at that. “Like… now?”

****

“Y- yeah? To… practice. That was stupid sorry, ignore it.” Jisung starts to apologise and shake his head, looking away.

****

“Okay.”

****

“O- okay?”

****

“Yeah. Okay Sung. Let's do it.”

****

Jisung is silent for a couple of seconds and then he moves, shifting to sit cross-legged in front of Renjun while whispering yet another “Okay…” to himself.

****

“I don't really know how to do this Sung, of course I know what we _should_ be supposed to do but maybe it's different to what it looks, I mean I don't-”

****

He feels a peck on the corner of his lips.

****

It was quick and light as a feather, but it left a weird sensation behind itself. Almost like tingles.

****

Jisung has a deep red flush creeping up his neck when Renjun looks at him. “Was that- was that bad?”

****

Renjun scrolls his head. “No, it was… nice. It felt nice. Do it again?”

****

Jisung blushes even more before leaning in again. This time, the kiss is in the middle of Renjun's lips.

****

**_November 2012_ **

****

Renjun is hidden under the fluffy blanket, holding it tight above his head which is buried against the fabric of the pyjama pants covering his knees, as if his own life was own the line. He gets out only when he hears a bright chuckle from the other side of the couch, and looks at Jisung confusedly.

****

“Are you afraid of ghosts, Renjun-hyung?”

****

“Hey, ghosts are scary, okay? And you were scared too earlier!”

****

“Yeah, because it's a horror movie, hyung!”

****

“But it was your idea to watch it!”

****

Jisung snickers under his breath again. “It would be so funny to prank you, like moving your stuff from next to your bed during the night and not tell you, you'd probably think it was a ghost!”

****

Renjun fulminates him with a look. “Don't even think of trying that. And besides, I'd never fall for that.”

****

(He _would_ fall for it, years later, he just didn't know it yet.)

****

**_January 2017_ **

****

Donghyuck is telling Renjun how Chenle had tapped his shoulder before while they were sitting on the couch, talking loudly to make himself heard over the party music.

****

“He was looking at you and Sung dancing, and he asked if you two were together.”

****

“And what did you tell him?”

****

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Relax, I told him what you two always say. That you're just friends, that you kiss because it's fun, no feelings attached, yada yada.”

****

“Uh, good.”

****

“Yeah, yeah. When he turned to look at you two again you were practically making out, he blushed so much and whipped his head back towards me, it was so funny. And also really cute. He didn't seem upset, though.”

****

Renjun nods. “Yeah, I don't think Lele likes either me or him, he basically just moved here? I know I don't like him, and Sung doesn't either or he would've told me.”

****

“Oh, really? He's very cute and funny, I might shoot my shot then maybe?”

****

Renjun smiles, hitting Donghyuck's left bicep with his fist in encouragement. “Go get him, loverboy.”

****

**_April 2015_ **

****

Renjun waits outside the door to the changing rooms, shifting his weight from one feet to the oher and tapping his fingers against his own thigh impatiently.

****

Suddenly the door in front of him opens in a storm, and he gasps as an overexcited Jisung flies into his arms, hugging him tight and jumping up and down on the heels of his feet.

****

“Hyung! I did it, I did it!”

****

“I know Sung, I saw! You deserved to win honestly, even an idiot could've seen the others didn't dance nearly half as good as you.”

****

Jisung leans back from the hug. “Really?”

****

His eyes are bright, his cheeks flushed, his smile blinding.

****

“Yes, Sung. Really.”

****

**_December 2017_ **

****

Jisung is about to lean in for another kiss, but stops midway.

****

“Okay, Renjun, what's wrong?”

****

The older doesn't answer, just grumbles something under his breath and pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

****

Jisung pokes a finger in Renjun's hip, but still doesn't get a reply. He talks softly: “C'mon, what was that? Renjun?”

****

When he does, Renjun blurts it out at once. “You became too tall! Okay?” He looks down, blushing lightly. “It… hurts my neck when we kiss.”

****

Jisung smiles, bending his knees a couple of centimetres. “Then I’ll be the one leaning down, okay? Or we can sit down. Whatever you want.”

****

**_June 2017_ **

****

He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous, he doesn’t know why he feels his palms sweat and his throat tighten and the hole in his chest get bigger with any second of waiting for an answer. He doesn’t know why hearing Jaemin ask “Jisung, would you like to go on a date with me?” affected him so much.

****

Why did Jaemin even decide to do it there, when they were all together at lunch? Jisung is shy, he would’ve for sure preferred to be asked out alone, in a calmer place. Without a doubt.

****

“Oh, uhm… sorry Jaemin, you’re a great guy but- but I’m not... interested?”

****

The rock in Renjun’s chest disappears.

****

He doesn’t know why he feels so relieved.

He also doesn’t know why Jaemin doesn’t at all seem sad about being rejected, or why he looks straight at Renjun with a smirk before getting up and saying he has to start getting back to class.

****

What does it mean?

****

**_September 2011_ **

****

Renjun sees a crying boy as he gets out in the garden for recess in his third week of elementary school after moving from China. He approaches the boy curiously, asking him what's wrong.

****

The boy looks up at Renjun, eyelashes sticking together because of his tears and lips pushed out in a trembling pout. “I lost a tooth! Now I look funny, ” he answers among his sobs.

****

“Hey, don't worry about that! _Loof, I hafe thif,_ ” Renjun tells the boy, last words muffled by his own fingers as he points to his snuggletooth.

****

“Doesn't that look funny too? But my friends in China call it tiger tooth!”

****

The boy's mouth falls open, and Renjun can see the empty spot in his row of whites.

****

“Tiger tooth?”

****

“Yes! And you can be like… Toothless! Like in that dragon movie!” Jisung raises his eyebrows, starting to smile and sit up more straight. “You have black hair already,” Renjun adds with a chuckle, patting the boy's head a couple of times.

****

He sits down beside the boy. “Oh, I'd love to have a pet dragon. Hey, maybe I could call it like you! What's your name?”

****

“I'm Jisung.”

****

**_September 2014_ **

****

“Try to not miss me too much.”

****

“Oh I won't, you're just going to high school hyung, you're not _dying._ ”

****

Renjun nods. “Yeah, we'll still hang out in the afternoon.”

****

“Ah, hopefully not, maybe you'll finally make some other friends and leave me alone.”

****

Renjun shoves his shoulder. “Oh, fuck off.”

****

There is a moment of silence between them.

****

“I'm gonna miss you Jisung.”

****

“I'll miss you too Renjun.”

****

**_August 2018_ **

****

After singing at the top of their lungs songs from their childhood, coming from the radio of Mark's second-hand mustang, with all of their friends now asleep in the tents around them, Jisung and Renjun are stargazing.

****

Mark would probably get mad if he saw them laying on the hood of his car like that, but he always had a soft spot for Jisung, so they will probably be fine even if they get caught.

****

Renjun has just finished talking of his theories about aliens, and when he turns towards Jisung he sees him looking with such an attentive expression, a small smile, and eyes that seem to reflect the lights above them.

****

It made him feel cared about. It made him feel… loved.

****

**_February 2019_ **

****

A hand removes Renjun's finger from his own lip, and he feels someone coming closer from behind him, resting their chin on Renjun's shoulder.

****

“What are you gonna paint?”

****

“Us.”

****

“Us?”

****

He doesn't need to see Jisung's surprised expression from behind him to imagine it. “Yeah, us. I wanted to paint the day we fell for each other, and I was trying to think of which one it was.”

****

“The day we fell in love? Wasn't it last month, when we were kissing at that party and then kind of… both drunk confessed to each other?”

****

“Nah, that was when we realised. It was before that.”

****

He feels Jisung shrug from behind him. “Maybe it was a gradual thing, a bit more and more every day.”

****

“Yeah, maybe… but that's too cheesy, don't say that.”

****

“You want to paint ‘the day we fell in love’ but _I'm_ the cheesy one? Alright… then, let's just choose a day ourselves. I fell for you the first time you promised to fight me on a rooftop once I turn an adult, okay?”

****

Renjun laughs. “Okay, then I fell for you when you accepted right away. Deal?”

****

He turns around, holding out a hand for Jisung to shake. But the younger ignores it in order to leave a peck on the corner or Renjun's mouth, just like the first time he ever kissed him. He leans back with a cheeky smile.

****

“Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> my first rensung fic!! and my 5th work for the AllRenzine, this has definitely been a ride hahaha. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Tell me what you thought, and come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/stardustchenle) !


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